Professor Uri Seligsohn has been denied a visa to Egypt. Dr. Seligsohn, a professor of hematology and director of the Amalia Biron Research Institute of Thrombosis and Hemostasis at Tel Aviv University, has been banned from attending the 56th Scientific and Standardization Committee meeting in Cairo of the International society on Thrombosis and Homeostasis. Dr. Seligsohn helped organize the event as a member of the society’s governing council and supported the decision of the governing council to hold the meeting in Cairo. No reason exists for the denial of visa, which appears to result from his nationality.
Denial of this visa violates Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory. Article 15 requires states to recognize the benefits of international contacts and cooperation in science. Harm to scientific work, including to progress in Egypt, has already resulted; several American colleagues of Dr. Seligsohn have cancelled plans to attend the conference to protest the decision to deny his visa.
We urged the Egyptian authorities to reverse the decision on Dr. Seligsohn’s visa as soon as possible to enable him to attend the meetings in Cairo.